WHO WAS BUFORD BYRON BRADLEY?

B. B. BRADLEY B. F. (BEFORE FAIRYLAND)

Buford B. Bradley was Tampa's city parks director under the Nick Nuccio mayoral administration of the late 1950s.  Bradley played a key role in bringing Nuccio's vision to life for Fairyland.  After having seen a children's storyland park in New Orleans, Nuccio returned to Tampa and sent Bradley to New Orleans to photograph the park and come up with some ideas for a Tampa version of it.**  Bradley, a landscape architect, then designed and provided the landscaping for Nuccio's pet project in Tampa--Fairyland at Lowry Park which opened in 1957.

**No evidence has been found in local newspapers that Nuccio was in New Orleans before starting on Fairyland in Tampa.

BRADLEY:  OUT OF THIN AIR

B. B. Bradley suddenly pops into Tampa's public view of the high society pages seemingly out of nowhere in an article on Jan. 5, 1950.  The Garden Club Notes section of the society page says he gave a talk on "Maintenance makes a Home Garden" at a club meeting at the home of former Florida governor Doyle E. Carlton.   For the next seven years or so, and even after he was appointed City of Tampa Supt. of  Parks, he would rub elbows with Tampa's upper crust making dozens of speaking engagements a year with various garden clubs.  Bradley's name appeared in the local papers quite often, and usually as "Dr. B. B. Bradley,"  giving a talk or giving horticultural tips. 

 
 Tampa's garden clubs were divided into smaller groups most of which had names of flowers or plants, such as here, "Flowering Tree" and "Rose."  Doyle Carlton was the governor of Florida in the 1930s and at this time was a partner with Mabry Reaves & Carlton law firm.  D. C. Gillett was a descendant of former Tampa mayor Myron E. Gillett.

The Jan. 29 article refers to him as "Dr. B. B. Bradley."

    

 

Dr. B. B. Bradley is described as a local landscape architect and nurseryman.

 

This Mar. 12, 1950 article mentions that in 1948 Dr. Bradley won second prize at an exhibition in Paris for his landscaping of tropical plants.

   

 

According to an Oct. 1956 article, Bradley became the landscaper and head horticulturist at the Southwest Florida Tuberculosis Hospital in early 1952.

 

This hospital was located in Drew Park and was named the W. T. Edwards Tuberculosis Hospital.  Notice Tampa Stadium at far left edge.

William T. Edwards was the first chairman of the State Tuberculosis Board. When a new series of state-of-the-art tuberculosis hospitals opened in roughly 1952, they were named in honor of him. Originally the Southwest Florida Tuberculosis Sanitarium, it had been in service since the mid 1940s in the wooden barracks of Drew Army Airfield.  The new hospitals were located all over the state of Florida, including Tampa, Lantana, Marianna, Tallahassee, Miami and several other cities in south Florida. All of the hospital buildings were constructed in the same basic way. The main buildings were all very long and thin, consisting of 5 floors with a few smaller wings branching off from the main building. At the time, it was thought that fresh air was the best treatment for TB, so the buildings were riddled with multi-pane windows which could be opened by cranks. The back side of each building was a wall of windows, while the front windows were more evenly spaced apart, especially in sections that did not house patients.


Above info is from Wikipedia.  Photo at right is from an article about Edwards in the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper, July 9, 1950.  Click to read the whole article.

 

William T. Edwards

 

When antibiotics effective against TB were developed, there was no longer a need for tuberculosis hospitals and the W. T. Edwards Hospitals were all closed by the start of the 1960s. The facilities fell under the jurisdiction of the Florida Department of Health and it wouldn't take long for the hospitals to reopen as Sunland hospitals across the state, with services for the mentally and physically disabled, specializing mostly in children. A large majority of the centers were shut down by 1983 for various health and safety reasons.

Above info is from Wikipedia.

FAKE NEWS?

It took less than a year for the hospital to receive bad press.  Thirty patients sent State Atty. James McEwen a letter of complaint about the conditions of their treatment at the hospital.  They called the hospital a "snake pit" operated by "self-seeking officials." The medical director of the hospital dismissed it as "the spewing of a diseased mind."

 

 
On Arbor Day, 1954, Bradley assisted the horticulture chairman of the Garden Gate Garden Circle club with a ceremony on the hospital grounds.  Two magnolia trees were planted and dedicated.  One was dedecated to a current member and the other a then deceased former member.

On Feb. 3, 1954, "Dr. B. Bradley, horticulturist at Southwest Fla. Tuberculosis hospital" spoke at a Garden Gate Garden Circle meeting at the Palma Ceia home of Mrs. Guy B. Smith.

    

 

TWO CIRCLES

Nov. 4, 1954  TIMES- Dr. B. B. Bradley spoke  at the Talbott home about the work he and the Garden Gate Garden Circle did to beautify the circular area where the flag pole was located at the hospital grounds.  This area can be seen in the newspaper photo above before landscaping had begun.  Landscaping at the rear of the hospital had also been completed.

Dec. 12, 1954 TRIB describes how gardening is part of the treatment at the hospital--O.T. which stands for Occupational Therapy.  The treatment is divided into two classes, handicrafts and garden therapy.  The garden therapy was organized by Bradely with the help of the Garden Gate Garden Circle.  (The Garden Circle club was subdivided into groups or divisions, like individual committees.  Each had its own name, and this particular one working with Bradely at the hospital was the Garden Gate group.  The article then explains that Bradley was a doctor of horticulture, not a medical doctor.

    

 

 

 

The Garden Gate Circle was also beautifying and maintaining  the county courthouse lawn downtown in the 1930s and 1940s.

See more photos and learn the history of this beautiful building here at TampaPix.

 

 

On Dec. 15, 1954, a Christmas party was staged for over 500 patients at the Southwest Fla. TB hospital.  B. B. Bradley was on the committee that organized and directed the event. Professional entertainment was provided at no charge by the Outdoor Showmans Association of Tampa which included Jack Espinosa, comic pantomime artist, Mel Burkhardt, a magician, and Sabella and his Spanish entertainers, and a barbershop quartet.

 

 
 

 

THE AMAZING CREDENTIALS AND BACKGROUND OF DR. BUFORD B. BRADLEY

   
Photos from Dec. 26, 1954 article below.

ARTICLE BELOW:

Bradley is described as being well-qualified to speak about the Gardens of Versailles, having spent time "in that former playground of the French royalty, and he has helped lay out formal gardens where Marie Antoinette played at being a milkmaid."  Bradley was a "Cracker lad from Lake City" but his years of study in Europe "have given his talk a continental elegance."  It says he spent his childhood in "the charming little principality of Luxembourg nestled between France, Germany and Belgium."

He attended and received his doctorate degree at the Acadamie de Hortae, a degree not given in the United States.  His education was funded by a scholarship given by Helen Gould of New York, who decided some years ago that since flowers brought so much joy into the lives of people that she would finance young men's careers in horticulture.  Mrs. Gould's family fortune was made by her father in the railroad industry.

While Bradley was in Luxembourg, he went as often as he could to Paris and the Gardens of Versailles.  Bradley spoke of this and other formal gardens in Europe.  His plans for the hospital was to lay out the garden in the form of a cross, with two miles of paths.

Bradley joked about it being said that he had a "green thumb."  Showing his mastery of foreign language, he said the phrase for "green thumb" and "horse sense" (common sense) are one in the same in Holland and Belgium.  "There is no mystery to growing flowers.  You put them in the ground, give them the right food and nature does the rest."

 

The new director at the TB hospital talks about "wonder drugs" that are shortening the length of treatment of TB patients.  "Drug therapy has become widely accepted since World War II."  Dr. Cline mentions how impressed he was with the latest equipment at the hospital, and the impressive grounds Bradley has beautified.

  

BRADLEY HEARD ON WDAE RADIO

In late March of 1955, Bradley spoke on propagating a tropical garden on an a.m. radio show on WDAE.  He continued rubbing elbows with Tampa's affluent society personalities at parties and lectures.

       

 

In late March, 1956, Bradley's large-scale plans for the 60 acre garden at the hospital were discussed at a meeting of the Old Fashioned Garden Circle.  This garden was the one to be on the south side of the main hospital,  in the shape of a cross, "in itself a symbol of hope...the emblem of the greatest Physician of all."  The location was also significant, as most of the patients were confined to their rooms and could only have visual contact with the outside world from the hospital windows.

 

BUFORD BRADLEY CAMPAIGNS FOR NICK NUCCIO

As the Sep. 1954 mayoral election approached, campaigning was coming to the boiling point with both candidates making accusations against the other.  The incumbent, Junie Young, being President of the City Council under Mayor Curtis Hixon, became Acting Mayor when Hixon died in office.  Young accused Nuccio of trying to confuse the voters and having the backing of "hoodlums."**  Nuccio accused Young of having ties to big liquor interests and voter fraud.  When Young heard B. B. Bradley was going to speak for Nuccio on local TV, Young said, "certainly he wants to speak for Nuccio.  This man has been promised that he would replace Ben Sanborn...if my opponent wins this race." 

 

NUCCIO WINS BY NARROW MARGIN

(Perhaps calling Nuccio's constituents "hoodlums" backfired on Young.)

 

NUCCIO'S MARGIN OF VICTORY EVEN SMALLER

 

 

Nuccio's margin was reduced to 125 votes after the recount.  $15,000 annual salary may not seem like much, but in 1956 it was like $146,071 is to us in 2020 according to U.S. Inflation Calculator.

 

TO THE VICTOR GO THE SPOILS

Mayor Nuccio wasted no time shaking up the city administration.  He combined two positions to be handled by one person, the city traffic planner Capt. John Flaherty who would supervise the traffic division and the planning office.  In a surprise move, Nuccio promoted the Asst. City attorney of the previous administration to the position of City Attorney, but then stated it may not be a permanent move.  The City Attorney position became vacant when former City Attorney under the previous administration, Carl Whitaker, resigned upon Nuccio's victory.  Nuccio then declared two who would definitely be removed--Asst. City Attorney John Twomey and Park Supt. Ben Sanborn, who would be replaced by B. B. Bradley. 

 

 

 

 

FLASH FROM THE PAST: 1943

Ben Sanborn originally was put on the city payroll in the 1930s when he was a Parks Dept. clerk appointed to be Parks Supt. Marco Penn's assistant during the Mayor Chancey administration.  Upon Curtis Hixon's defeat of Chancey in 1943, Hixon promoted Sanborn to City Parks Supt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apparently, as it became known Nuccio would shake up the city administration, Sanborn could "see the writing on the wall" and had filed for a disability pension, claiming "multiple illnesses," but Nuccio noted he "wasn't' too sick to be politicking strenuously for the past few weeks."

 

HISTORY NEARLY REPEATS

Nuccio nearly repeated the controversy of Mayor Chancey's appointment of Marco Penn as Parks Supt. in Dec. 1931.  Chancey "jumped the gun" by choosing and naming Penn before the Parks Board had a chance to meet to recommend him first.  This resulted in a brief power struggle between Mayor Chancey and the outgoing city councilmen.

Nuccio was made aware of this requirement and so waited until Dr. W. M. Rowlett, chairman of the city park board, returned from a trip out of town.

Nuccio planned to ask the board to "recommend" B. B. Bradley as Sanborn's replacement.

At right:  Bradley's numerous accomplishments and credentials in the field of horticulture are once again aired in an Oct. 6, 1956 article.  One such title under his belt was being the host of a WTVT television program on gardening the previous year.  His  experience in front of the cameras in that regard was said to have "come in handy" during his on-the-air campaigning for Nuccio.  But mayoral election loser Junie Young declared him to be "just a gardener."  To that, Bradley was modestly proud.

  

Described as "one of the more promising appointments so far by Mayor Nuccio," this article cites Bayshore Blvd. as a "beauty spot" with the most potential for Bradley.  Again, Bradley's past accomplishments are said to show he was well-qualified for the task.  Not to say Sanborn didn't do a good enough job.  His laurels included beautifying Lowry Park, Tony Jannus Park, Rogers Park, and Bayshore Blvd. inside the old City limits.  The article mentions limitations Sanborn had (budget restrictions mostly) but all in all he managed to beautify Tampa.

BRADLEY HAS A FLAT TIRE ON HIS FIRST DAY ON THE JOB

A nail punctured his tire while looking over Lowry Park and he could not find a phone to cancel a downtown appointment he had.


 

BRADLEY ACTS AS MASTER OF CEREMONIES AT WEST TAMPA CARNIVAL
Mayor Nuccio was present to crown the king and queen of the night at Cuscaden Park.  The date indicates these were school Halloween carnivals.  At Cuscaden park was for  Ybor Elementary, Orange Grove Elementary, Philip Shore Elementary and Jr. High,.  At West Tampa Junior High was that school's carnival along with Macfarlane Park Elementary, and Cuesta Elementary.

In late November 1956, Bradley hosted a meeting of the Tampa Men's Garden Club at their Columbus Drive clubhouse.  The topic was to discus problems and plans for beautifying Tampa.

 

BRADLEY'S PLANS FOR EL PRADO BLVD.

The entire length of El Prado from MacDill Ave. to Beach drive was to be "gaily decorated with palm trees, jasmine, flowering hedges, flame vines, and orange ixora.

 

 

ROBLES PARK BEAUTIFIED

Ducks and swans were to replace hyacinths, weeds, cattails, and five alligators at Robles Park pond.  The ducks were transplants from crowded ponds in Sunnydale Acres, whose quacking had brought complaints from the nearby residents.  But some ducks were placed at Robles too soon, as the six-foot long gator was found to have white feathers in his mouth.  The article specifically mentioned that this gator was killed, not being able to be trapped,  but mentions earlier that four others were removed in traps and released in the Hillsborough River.

 

BOTH LOCAL NEWSPAPERS COVER NUCCIO'S "LAUNCHING OF THE SWANS"

The swans were named Tom and Josie and Nuccio joked that he wanted their first male offspring to be named after him.  Bradley claimed that the swans would not want to leave the pond because they were used to being hand fed and would continue to be fed as such.  An island was built in the center of the pond as their home, but ducks had already beaten the swans to it having laid several eggs there first.

   

FAIRYLAND PLANS ANNOUNCED

Bradley's work was being noticed and praised by many Tampans, as the Tribune reader below commended Bradley for "cleaning up the 'Everglades' in Robles Park" and also the jungle in Macfarlane Park.  "Keep up the good work, Dr. Bradley...the City of Tampa will have the most fabulous looking parks in the state of Florida" wrote Mrs. Angie Ficcio.

And Mrs. Ficcio was correct, because plans soon were in the making to build in Tampa a most UNIQUE city park attraction.

 

     

 

NUCCIO ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR ANIMATED WONDERLAND

This article says Nuccio made the announcement after viewing color slides taken by Bradley at the New Orleans City Park's storyland.  Nuccio had sent him there to get first-hand ideas for Tampa's version of the park.  But a later article claims Nuccio had first gone there and saw it first, whether by chance or his purpose of the visit, it is not known at this time.  No news has been located that Nuccio had gone to New Orleans.

The attraction would be "beamed for the delight of youngsters" but "adults can go through if they insist" said Bradley.  The park would be financed by the expected sale of city land, and city employees would do all the construction work other than making the fairy tale figures.  The buildings and figures would be all scaled down, as well as the landscaping.

A local citizen agreed to build a large fountain as a central piece of fairyland.  A plan under consideration was for a "novel entranceway."  Children were to enter by sliding down a RAINBOW slide into the park.  We know that the rainbow was built as a bridge with stairs, not a slide.


B. B. Bradley and his contributions to Fairyland and Lowry Park are presented at BUILDING FAIRYLAND.
 

In May 1959, Davis Islands residents grew suspicious of Bradley's work at a residence on Bahama Circle. They apparently contacted the Tampa Tribune about it and a reporter confronted Bradley for an explanation.  Bradley "let it all hang out" by letting the reporter know in no uncertain terms that his private business was not using City property nor was it being conducted on City time.  Bradley's main source of income apparently was not from the City and he didn't mince words when he said he didn't owe the city any thanks for his city job and any thanks due should be from the city to him.  He explained his business on Bahama Circle and even Mayor Nuccio said "on his own time, he does what he pleases.  You can't dictate what a man does with his own time."  Bradley pointed out he has worked as many as 20 overtime hours a week for the city without overtime pay and would be willing to resign and work on a fee basis.  He also said he was a landscaping consultant on the new University of South Florida and did similar for the new Schlitz brewery (on 30th St. near Busch Gardens.)  The suspicioun by Davis Islands residents was probably due to him visiting the Bahama Circle location while on the islands checking on the city project of cutting down trees along the parkways.
 

 

 

 

 

 

THE REAL B. B. BRADLEY

You've met the public Buford Byron Bradley, now meet the real one.

For all the times Bradley and his horticultural skills were featured in newspaper articles, nothing much was ever said about his personal life.  How old was he?  Was he married?  Did he have children?  Was his position at the hospital his only source of income?  There was no mention of a Mrs. B. B. Bradley hosting any social event.  Who were his parents?  Were they still living?  If so, where?

 

FINDING B. B. BRADLEY

Four years before he burst upon the high-society garden club scene in Tampa's society news section, Buford Bradley married Louise Pope in Tampa.  It appears that he was a virtual nobody at the time. The announcement of their plans was made in late Feb. 1946 and all that is said of Bradley is that he was the son of Mrs. A. H. Morris, he graduated from St. Pete High School, and was employed by Howard Johnson Stores in Portland, Maine.   No mention was made of his horticultural education nor his youth spent in Luxembourg.

Having a different surname from her son, Bradley's mother could have either been divorced or widowed from his father, then remarried.

 

 

MARRIAGE OF B. B. BRADLEY TO LOUISE POPE

The Bradley's wedding ceremony took place at the Seminole Methodist Church on May 13, 1945.  Louise was the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. D. L. Pope of 5113 Suwannee Ave.  Again, only Bradley's mother, Mrs. A. H. Morris of St. Pete is mentioned.

Bradley's employment isn't mentioned this time, only that he graduated from St. Pete High School.  Again, no mention of any horticultural education, degrees, or time in Luxembourg.

The Bradleys left immediately after the ceremony for a "short trip" before going to Maine to make their home.

 

 


THE BRADLEYS IN MAINE

The only mention of the Bradleys found in Maine newspapers is this one below on Feb. 2, 1947, where it appears that Buford was an employee of "Rines Brothers" and was in charge of arranging the entertainment for their Mutual Benefit Association supper at the North Deering Grange Hall.

No mention of his horticultural degree or landscaping skills.

 

 

According to numerous newspaper ads of this period, "Rines Brothers" was a budget department store much like Wal-Mart and K-Mart today.  Perhaps at the time of his engagement announcement, Bradley worked for Howard Johnsons in Maine but got a job with this department store in the meantime.

 

 

 

GOING BACK IN TIME:  BUFORD BRADLEY'S 1940 CENSUS, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Buford Bradley's 1940 Census in St. Pete shows he was 14, so he was born around 1925-26.  As his wedding article states, his mother was Mrs. A. H. Morris.  The record shows she was Elvira Morris, the wife of cafe chef A. H. Morris, who was born in Ohio.  (Later evidence shows he was Avery Henderson Morris.) Elvira was 44, so she was born around 1895-96 in Florida.  In St. Pete in 1940 she was working as a sales lady in a ladies ready wear shop.   Notice Buford was listed as A. H. Morris's stepson.  This census asked where each person was living on Apr. 1, 1935.  All three indicated Ocala, Marion County, Fla.

Avery's and Elvira's marriage license shows their application was made in Ocala, Marion County, and she married A. H. Morris in Dunnellon, Marion County, on Mar. 18, 1936.  The license misspells her time both times as "Elmira" instead of "Elvira" and Mr. Morris is named only by his first and middle initial. Since they all lived in Ocala on April 1, 1935 it's probably where they met.


Knowing her first name, TampaPix has traced Elvira back to when she was Elvira Bradley, and found out who Buford's father and grandparents were.

 

TRACING BUFORD BYRON BRADLEY'S ROOTS

From the information presented in newspaper articles about his mother, as well as online records such as censuses, marriage and death records, cemetery records, TampaPix has traced Buford Byron Bradley's ancestry to his paternal grandparents in Missouri and maternal grandparents in Florida.

Rather than present the research in the order it was done (backward in time), it will be presented in chronological order beginning with his grandparents so it will be easier to follow.

This research is intended to show if it's reasonable to assume that Tampa's B. B. Bradley lived in Luxembourg during his youth and if his parents could have afforded to send him there or if it was possible for him to receive the Gould scholarship and a Doctorate degree in Horticulture.

 

THE BRADLEYS: BOONE CO., MISSOURI 1860s TO 1890s

For expediency and clarity, Tampa's Superintendent of City Parks, Buford Byron Bradley, will be referred to as BBB2 because it has been determined that his father was also Buford Byron Bradley (who will be presented as BBB1.)

BBB2's paternal grandparents (BBB1's parents) were John Terry Bradley (b. 1859) and Price (Jackson) Bradley (b.1865).  John T. Bradley's early years were spent in Boone Co, Missouri with his parents, James W. Bradley and Zerelda (Gibson) Bradley, and the rest of their children who lived there in the 1860s. 

It was in Boone Co., Mo. where John T. Bradley married Price Jackson on April 2, 1884.  Price Jackson can be found on the 1870 Census of Boone Co. Mo. at age 7 in the home of her parents, William Roger Jackson and Zarilda (Sappington) Jackson, and nine siblings. (John & Price's mothers were named Zarelda and Zarilda.)

MARRIAGE LICENSE OF BB1'S PARENTS


Married at the home of the bride's father.

The descendant tree below follows in chronological order from left to right.  It shows the TWO GENERATIONS BEFORE BB1'S PARENTS, John Terry Bradley and Zarilda Price Jackson.  This is a modified version of the interactive tree found online at FamilySearch.org but does NOT include the siblings of each family.  TampaPix cannot vouch for the accuracy of the generations that came before John T.Bradley and Zarilda P. (Jackson) Bradley, this was user-provided info by other researchers. 

Below, the buttons on the left indicate there are more preceding generations, and most all of these branches go back a dozen to twenty or so generations to the 1100s.  This is all user submitted data and the further back you go, the more speculative it appears to be, since much of it has no source info.

PATERNAL GRANDPARENTS OF BBB2 AND THEIR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS
John T. Bradley & Z. Price Jackson's ancestors

 


 

CHILDREN OF JOHN TERRY BRADLEY AND ZARILDA PRICE JACKSON
(Birth of BBB2's father, BBB1)
 

John & Price Bradley's third child (second son), Buford Byron Bradley was born on May 30, 1891 in Hinton, which was an unincorporated area about 7 miles north of Columbia in Boone County, Missouri.  He was the father of Tampa's Buford Byron Bradley.


 This Buford Byron Bradley born in 1891 will be referred to as BBB1 as he was the father of BBB2.  Tampa's B. B. Bradley (BBB2) was a Junior but this was not publicly expressed during his years in Tampa.

 

 

 

 

THE JOHN T. BRADLEYS MOVE TO SEDALIA, MO., 1890s

These three newspaper articles below are evidence that the John T. Bradley family moved from Columbia about 43 miles west to Sedalia some time by 1895.  At this time, their children were Brooks, Julia and BBB1.  Their last child, Maude, was born in 1897.

 

BBB1'S MOTHER TEACHES SCIENCE AND MUSIC READING

 BBB1 ATTACKED BY A DEER

BBB1'S FATHER INJURED AT WORK

 

THE BRADLEYS MOVE FROM SEDALIA TO KANSAS CITY, KANSAS BY 1900

 

The 1900 census shows the Bradleys and their children Brooks, Julia, BBB1, and Maude, on Splitlog Ave. in an area east of 7th St in Kansas City, KS.  BBB1 was 9 but the record doesn't show he was attending school.



Why would a 9-year-old not be in school?

 

BBB1 WAS A PROBLEM CHILD

Here we see why BBB1 wasn't in school on the 1900 census.  This article says he was a big boy, 5 ft. 4 in. and 165 lbs at age 11, and his father "could do nothing with him." 

The Bradleys were living on the Simpson block in KC, Kansas in 1903 when BBB1was sentenced to reform school, probably for being disobedient and not going to school.

This was likely the State Reform School at Topeka, Kansas.  The image below is from an 1887 Kansas state atlas. 

 

 


This same image appears in b&w in the school's biennial report of 1900
Image courtesy of the Kansas State Historical Society, Memory Project.  Image is from an 1887 Kansas state atlas.

 


1908 Post card image courtesy of the Kansas State Historical Society, Memory Project

 

BRADLEY FAMILY BREAK UP - BBB1'S PARENTS DIVORCE

About two months after BBB1's sentence to reform school, on Feb. 25, 1903,  his mother, Zarilda P. Bradley filed for divorce of John T. Bradley.  At this time, their children's approximate ages would have been:  Brooks (18) , Julia (15), BBB1 (11) and Maude (4).

 

DEATH OF BBB1'S MOTHER, ZARILDA PRICE (JACKSON) BRADLEY

Just over 5 years after her divorce, Zarilda P. Bradley died in Kansas City, Mo.

The cemetery headstone image and information at right is from Find-a-Grave and is member submitted.


"United States Deceased Physicians Files (AMA), 1864-1968," database with images, FamilySearch 23 May 2019, > image 1177 of 2955; American Medical Association, Chicago.


 

BBB1'S FATHER, JOHN T. BRADLEY IN KANSAS CITY, KANSAS - 1910

By 1910 John T. Bradley, BBB1's father, was living alone as head of house in an area which appeared to be predominately factory or railroad workers living in boarding houses or apartments.  The record clearly shows John was 51 and divorced.   He was working as a laborer for a packing company, as were about half a dozen other men on the page.    The bottom 12 lines were female student nurses in their 20s.  The area was part of the 23rd precinct of Kansas City city, Wyandotte Co, Kansas.


There is no doubt this is BBB1's father, his age and birthplace, as well as his parents' are consistent with his other census, as well as his line of work.

See the entire page.

At the same time in 1910, John & Pricie's 12-yr-old daughter Maude was boarding in the home of Charles & Nettie Draper in the same precinct.  Maude would have been the only minor child of John and Price Bradley at this time.


 

By 1920, John T. Bradley had married Mary Clevenger.  On the 1920 Census, John is found with his 2nd wife Mary in Pct. 59 or 60 where it shows he was 61 and working as a fireman at a packing company.  His wife Mary M. Bradley was 52 with no occupation.

BBB1 has yet to be located on a 1910 Census.  He should be about 19 years old at that time, so no doubt he was no longer in reform school.

 

BBB1 IN THE NEWS:  BUFORD BYRON "BUNYON" BRADLEY, BUSY BEE BOY BOXER

On Mar. 26, 1916, the KC Globe published an article about a BBB1.  There is probably a bit of exaggeration to it.  BBB1 was described as a "remarkable young man" and a "rosy-cheeked, blue-eyed mild mannered young man."   The article claims he was 18 years old and spent the last two years on the Pacific coast following prize fighting for a living.  BBB1's youth has been exaggerated, he was born in May 1891, he would have been 24 in Mar. 1916.

If the story of his whereabouts is true, it would account for BBB1's location from 1914 to 1916. "Bunyon" obviously was not his name and was probably added as an intimidation factor and was allusion to Paul Bunyon.

Can this be the same BBB as our BBB1?  Yes...

This BBB was visiting his parents "Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Bradley, 600 Riverview Avenue, and may decide to make Kansas City his home."  This BBB was 6 ft. 4 in. tall and 340 lbs.  Since his youth was exaggerated (18) his height and weight was probably over-stated as well.  Later you will see that our BBB1 was a BIG man.  We already know he was a big boy.

On the 1920 census of Kansas City, BBB1's father, John T. Bradley, was living on the corner of Riverview Avenue and N. 6th St. with his 2nd wife Mary (Clevenger) Bradley.  This address is mentioned in the article above.

 

 

MEANWHILE, BBB2'S MATERNAL FAMILY IN FLORIDA:  ELVIRA (BAKER) BRADLEY MORRIS'S PARENTS - JOHN F. BAKER & SUSAN ALFORD

Later records reveal that Elvira's mother, (BBB2's maternal grandmother) Susan A. Baker, was born Susan Alford, on May 26, 1853 in Georgia.  She was a daughter of William A. Alford and Gatsey Trulock.  Elvira's father was Civil War CSA Capt. John F. Baker, born in Bowling Green, Ky around 1835.  He was a school teacher in Columbia County, Florida in 1880. 

On the 1880 Census of Columbia Co., Fla., Susan Alford was working as a live-in servant in the McKinney household.  The record shows she was 24 and single, born in Fla.  Four households away was John Baker, age 45, single, working as a school teacher and born in Ky.

THE MARRIAGE OF JOHN F. BAKER AND SUSAN ALFORD

The 1880 Census implies that John Baker and Susan Alford married after June 1, 1880, the date of that census.  On Susan's application for a Civil War CSA widow's pension of Oct. 3, 1903, she affirms that she married John F. Baker before Jan. 1, 1885 at Lake City, Fla.  

Six years later, on her July 28, 1909 application she states she married John F. Baker as Susan Alford in May 1881. 

INVESTIGATION OF SUSAN ALFORD'S MARRIAGE

Could Susan's stated marriage date of May 1881 be in error?  In 1909 it would have been around 28 years since she married. Sometimes a date is calculated from a number of years.  Sometimes the month is not considered in the calculation and a date could easily be off by a year.  This happens often in the 1900 census where age & birth month and year was recorded.  If this was the situation with Susan's recollection of her marriage date of May 1881, evidence shows she may have married in May 1882.

TampaPix has viewed ALL the marriage records for 1881 and 1882 online at familysearch.org for Columbia County, Fla.  There is no marriage of a Susan Alford.  There is ONE marriage (image at right) of a John F. Baker on May 31, 1882 , and it is to a Susan YOUNGBLOOD.  Can this be Susan Alford? There were no other marriages listed for a John Baker.

WHY Youngblood instead of Alford?
These records are old and handwritten, but they are legible and indexed online by names and dates.  However, it is obvious they are NOT the original marriage records.   This is evidenced by the handwriting being of the same person for ALL the records, and no witnesses named for any of the marriages.  These appear to be  marriage books with entries that were HAND COPIED many years earlier from the original records, and without including the names of the witnesses.

There can be two reasons why this could be Susan Alford listed as Youngblood. One possibility is that Susan married a Youngblood after the 1880 census but before she married John F. Baker, and on her 1909 application simply forgot or did not wish to mention that short marriage.  This is highly unlikely; TampaPix has not found any previous marriage record of a Susan Alford or of  female to a Youngblood male. Nor were there any marriages of a Susan with a surname even remotely close to Youngblood found on the 1880 census in Columbia Co. There were no other marriages of a John Baker nor any other ones listed on the 1880 census in Columbia Co. Fla.   Susan's chances of getting the pension would not have been affected by a marriage prior to marrying John Baker, as long as she married Baker by Jan. 1, 1885.  Stating she married as Susan Alford if she knew she was Susan Youngblood at the time would have been lying.

The only other explanation is that the original license record DID show "Susan Alford" and that whenever the original records were hand-copied years or decades later, the copyist was distracted or was careless and wrote the name of a WITNESS instead of Susan Alford.  The wording on the copies seems to be exactly the same for each page, except for the names and dates.  Maybe the copyist was working from an index which only showed names and dates, and the name could have been written incorrectly on the index.  The chances of this happening would be small; a copyist's job is to copy accurately, and there was probably a 2nd person to check for errors, but TampaPix believes this record is the marriage of Susan Alford and John F. Baker.  Especially since the marriage took place in May and the bride's first name was Susan..

John F. Baker's tombstone shows his death was on Mar. 17, 1895.  Susan's pension application of 1898 and 1903 states Mar. 7, 1894.  Her 1909 application shows May 1895. Given that her 1898 application was only four years after John's death, and the same date is given on the 1903 application, TampaPix is confident that March 7, 1894 is the correct date.  One more reason will be presented later when Susan Alford Baker's death is discussed.
 


Notice this user submitted information shows his spouse was Susan P. Baker.  TampaPix has not located any record showing her middle initial was "P." (It comes from her tombstone.)  The ones showing a middle initial showed "A" which was likely for her maiden name, Alford.

BBB2'S MOTHER ELVIRA BAKER ON THE 1900 Census, Columbia County, Ft. White, Fla.

In 1900, BBB2's mother, Elvira Baker, was living at Fort White at age 6 in her widowed mother's household.   The Alford family appears to go back a few generations residing in Ft. White, just south of Lake City in Columbia County, Fla.  Their earlier roots were from Kentucky and Georgia. 

In addition to the ages of each person, this census asked for the month and birth year.  The record indicates Elvira was born Aug. 1893 in Florida.  Her mother, Susan A. Baker, born in Ga., was already widowed and listed as a farmer.  Here are seen her five children: sons John F. (15), Timothy (12) and Francis M. (9).  Her daughter,  Addie was 11.  Susan A. Baker was the mother of six, but only five were still living at this time.

SEE THESE RELATED DOCUMENTS IN FULL SIZE:
 

1847, Sept. 1 - Marriage record of William A. Alford & Gatsey Trulock, LEON CO., Fla (maternal grandparents of Elvira Baker Bradley.) 1860 Census of Susan Alford at age 7 in home of her parents, William & Gatsey Alford, Dooly Co., GA

1870 Census of Susan Alford at age 16 in mother's Gatsey Alford's home in Lake City, Fla.

 

 

1910 CENSUS OF THE BAKERS, FT. WHITE, COLUMBIA CO., FLA.

BBB1'S future wife, Elvira Baker was 15 and still living at Ft. White, Columbia Co., Florida, with her widowed mother Susan Baker and sister Addie E. Baker, and a cousin named Victoria Steadmond from S. Carolina.  As seen on the map, Ft. White was about 10 miles south of Lake City.  Susan Baker's income was from her widow's pension and owned their home free of mortgage.  She was the mother of 7 children, with 5 living at the time.  It's not known which census was correct about how many children she had given birth to.

 

MARRIAGE OF BUFORD B. BRADLEY "SR" (BBB1) AND ELVIRA BAKER

BBB1 and Elvira Baker (parents of Tampa's B. B. Bradley) were married in Columbia Co, Fla. on May 26, 1917.  This was Lake City.


 

BBB1'S 1917 WORLD WAR 1 DRAFT REGISTRATION

It appears that within 10 days after their marriage, newlywed BBB1 and wife Elvira were in Lewisville, Lafayette Co., Arkansas on June 5, 1917 for BBB1 to register for the WW1 draft.   The record shows he was living in Bradley, Ark.  He was 26 years old and  born on May 30, 1891 in Hinton, Mo. He was married and worked as a carpenter for Redmoor Valley Farm Company. Lafayette County is located in the southwest corner of Arkansas and borders Louisiana on the south and is just east of Texarkana which is on the border of Texas and Arkansas.

The registration shows that BBB1 was tall, stout, with brown eyes and dark brown hair.  There is no explanation as to why the 1916 prize-fighter article mentioned he had blue eyes, other than the reporter was wrong, or the registrar was wrong.

The city of Bradley, located near Conway Cemetery State Park in Lafayette Co., has been a center for agriculture and recreation since its establishment by the Southwestern Improvement Association in the southern part of the county late in the nineteenth century.

The Conway plantation, which became the town of Walnut Hill (Lafayette Co) was an early center of political power in the state of Arkansas when James Conway was elected the state’s first governor in 1836. Traffic on the Red River and the Military Road carried many people through the area, including eastern tribal groups who were relocated to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). Southern Lafayette County remained sparsely settled, though, until after the Civil War. Railroad lines connecting Lewisville (Lafayette Co.) to Shreveport, La. were completed in 1888 by the Cotton Belt Railroad. A railroad stop near Walnut Hill was named Bradley for W. C. Bradley, son-in-law of James Conway. 

(From Encyclopedia of Arkansas.)

 

 

THE BRADLEYS IN FLORIDA BUT LIVING IN SEPARATE COUNTIES, 1920 CENSUS

On the 1920 Census, BBB1 and his wife Elvira were living in different counties.  It appears that BBB1 took work wherever it was available so the Bradleys moved around often.  BBB1 was working as a house carpenter in the Croom district of Hernando County, Fla.   The record shows he was married, but he's the only person in his household, which he rented.  He was born in Missouri, as well as were his parents.

 

According to Wikipedia, Pemberton Ferry, later renamed Croom, is now a ghost town in Central Florida near Brooksville and Ridge Manor, Florida. A rail line came to Pemberton Ferry in 1884.  It was a rail stop by the Withlacoochee River just north of where the I-75 bridge over Croom-Rital Road and Withlacoochee State Trail is today. The area is now mostly rural. The Croom Tract is part of the Withlacoochee State Forest. There is also a 20,000 acre Croom Wildlife Management Area.  Ruins in the area include 1900 Thomas House, old foundations, a brick vat, the remains of an iron railroad bridge, family cemeteries and pits from phosphate mining. The area once included a turpentine still, sawmill, sugar mill, railroad switch out, railroad bridge and ferry. The area is now popular for turkey hunting and single track mountain biking. Another settlement in the area was known as Oriole and an abandoned Oriole cemetery remains in existence.  More about Croom, photo courtesy of Fla. Trailblazer.

 

 

On the same census (1920), Elvira was living in an incorporated area of Ft. White in Columbia Co., Fla.   Ft. White is 10 miles SSW of Lake City, on Hwy 27.  Elvira was living in the home with her widowed mother, Susan Baker, and a brother, Francis M. Baker.  Here, Elvira was married and had two daughters who are listed as Susan Baker's granddaughters.  They are Mary S. (Sue) who is 1 yr. 8 mos old, (b. circa Apr. 1918) and Sarah who appears to be 4 mos old (b. c. Aug 1919).  Here, the column showing birthplace of the girl's father is erroneously listed as being Georgia; BBB1 was born in Missouri.


With Elvira and BBB1 having very young children, it would have been a help to them for Elvira and their young daughters to live with her mother while BBB1 was working in Hernando County as a house carpenter.  Croom is about 113 miles south of Lake City following present day US-41.
 

DEATH OF BBB2'S MATERNAL GRANDMOTHER, SUSAN (ALFORD) BAKER, ELVIRA'S MOTHER

Susan Alford Baker died July 28, 1923 at Fort White in Columbia County where she lived all her life.  She was buried next to her husband, John F. Baker.  Their tombstone doesn't look as if it's the original tombstone.  If it is, it's in remarkable condition for being 113 years old.  (Photo provided by Donna McPherson on 10 Jul 2008.) 

With all the evidence found so far, it appears that this stone was made several years after Susan's death in 1923, maybe as part of a cemetery restoration project.  John's original tombstone might have deteriorated so badly that when Susan died in 1923, it was replaced by one for both of them.  John's may have been in such bad shape and somewhat illegible, resulting in inaccurate date of John's death on the new stone.  OR, John's death was obtained from Susan's 1909 widow's pension application, which only showed "March 1895" but was actually a year off.


Find-A-Grave photo provided by Donna McPherson.

 

1930 CENSUS, MISSOURI - TAMPA'S B. B. BRADLEY'S (BBB2's) FIRST CENSUS RECORD

The 1930 Census of Franklin township in Miller County, Missouri show pages of men who worked construction labor jobs.  The unincorporated place is listed as a dam site.

The area is about halfway between Kansas City and St. Louis, Mo. and slightly south where the Lakes of the Ozarks are located.  The lakes are formed due to the dam at Lakeside where the waters flow out as the Osage River.  Eventually, it connects to the Mississippi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

DAM CONSTRUCTION SITE AT FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, MILLER CO., MO.

In 1930 BBB1 worked as a foreman rigger at a dam construction site.  He probably oversaw the building of the wooden forms into which the concrete would be poured.  This would be right in line with his carpenter's occupation.

The pages of this area are dominated by line after line of men working construction-related jobs.  They rent their homes "R" for $20 a month.  This is probably on-site temporary housing, so the Bradleys probably only lived here for as long as BBB1 was employed here.  BBB1 was age 40, his wife Elvira was 36 (b. 1893-94) consistent with her other census ages. 

This is the only census that shows BBB1 living in the same dwelling with his wife Elvira and children Mary S. (Sue) and Buford Jr. (BBB2).  Sarah Bradley, who was just 4 mos. old on Elvira's 1920 Census in Ft. White, was not listed.  She may have died from 1920 to 1930.

 

FIRST RECORD OF TAMPA'S B. B. BRADLEY - 1930 CENSUS, FRANKLIN, MILLER CO., MO.

This census asked each person how old they were when they married anyone for the first time.  To determine if their current marriage was that first marriage, look at how many years ago each person married.  The record shows that BBB1 was now 40 and first married when he was 26.  That was 14 years ago.  Elvira was now 36 and first married at 22.  That was also 14 years ago.  So each spouse married 14 years ago, chances are it was to each other and thus this was their first marriage.

BBB2 Buford Jr. was 4 which results in a 1925-1926 calculated birth year.  Remember, BBB2 was a "Cracker lad from Lake City."

Mary Sue was 12 so she was born around 1917-18 and her age is consistent with her 1920 census, but now this record shows she was born in Arkansas.  This discrepancy when compared to their 1920 Census (which showed Florida), along with the incorrect birth place of their father on the 1920 Census, points to the possibility that Susan Baker may have been the one who answered the enumerators questions in 1920, and wasn't well familiar with where Buford was from nor where they were living when Mary Sue was born.  (Recall that in 1917, BBB1 registered for the WW1 draft in Arkansas, was married and lived in Bradley at the time.)

DEATH OF BUFORD B. BRADLEY SR. (BBB1)
Buford B. Bradley, Sr. died in Eldorado, Arkansas on Oct. 23, 1933.  He was only 42.  No other details have been found concerning his death.  More about his child Mary Sue Banks later.

 


BBB1'S listing at Find-A-Grave shows a link to daughter Mary Sue Bradley Banks.

 

BBB2's 1935 FLORIDA CENSUS, Lake City and Macclenny, Fla.

Shortly after BBB1's death, Elvira and her children moved back to Lake City, Florida.  Buford Bradley (BBB2) and his mother, Elvira Bradley, were enumerated twice on Florida's 1935 state census--once in Columbia County, Lake City, Fla. and once in Baker County, Macclenny,  Fla.   Unlike the federal censuses, some of the Florida censuses did not include the date of enumeration on each sheet. However, a Florida Law directed that a state census be taken in 1935 and instructed the Commissioner of Agriculture to have enumerators starting work on April 8, 1935, or “as soon as possible thereafter.” It also directed the selected enumerators to have complete returns prepared on or before the 15th of May, 1935.

The image below shows "Mrs. Elvira Bradley" in the city limits of Lake City, age 39, with a high school education and working as a clerk.  Her age is consistent with her 1940 Census age. Also in the household were her two children, (Mary) Sue Bradley and Buford Bradley (BBB2).  Sue was 16 and also worked as a clerk.  Buford was 9 which is also close to agreement with his 1930 census age and consistent with his 1940 Census age giving a 1925-1926 birth year.  It is apparent that the enumerator made an error in putting a ditto mark for Buford's education.  He would not have had a high school education at his age.

1935 CENSUS, COLUMBIA CO., LAKE CITY


This census did not ask marital status.

The Bradleys were also listed in the city limits of Macclenny, Fla., in Baker County, but without Sue Bradley.  There could be many possible reasons why she wasn't listed.  Being 16 and having a clerk's job, she may have stayed in Lake City (assuming the Lake City record came first.) Macclenny is located halfway between Lake City and Jacksonville. Since the dates were not written on the pages, it's impossible to tell which location was enumerated first.   Elvira and Buford's ages are the same as the Lake City record, but here Elvira had one year of college education and Buford was in the third grade.

1935 CENSUS, BAKER COUNTY, MACCLENNY, FLA.

Their neighbors worked as a telegraph operator, F.E.R.A. social worker, secretary, clerk, stenographer, lawyer, minister, bookkeeper, and deputy sheriff.  This indicated that they lived in an educated environment.   Both records indicate Elvira was renting in a rooming house. 

BBB2'S WIDOWED MOTHER, ELVIRA BRADLEY MARRIES A. H. MORRIS - REVIEW

BB1'S mother, Elvira (Baker) Bradley, married A. H. Morris in Marion County on March 18, 1936.  Later records show he was Avery Henderson Morris.

 

THE BRADLEYS IN ST. PETE - REVIEW

By 1937, Avery Morris, Elvira and her two children Mary Sue Bradley and Buford B. Bradley had moved to St. Petersburg, Fla.

Buford Bradley's 1940 Census in St. Pete shows he was 14, so he was born around 1925-26.  As his wedding article states, his mother was Mrs. A. H. Morris.  The record shows she was Elvira Morris, the wife of cafe chef A. H. Morris, who was born in Ohio.  (Later evidence shows he was Avery Henderson Morris.) Elvira was 44, so she was born around 1895-96 in Florida.  In 1940 she was working as a sales lady in a ladies ready wear shop.   Notice Buford was listed as A. H. Morris's stepson.  This census asked where each person was living on Apr. 1, 1935.  All three indicated Ocala, Marion County, Fla.

1940 CENSUS, ST. PETE

 

 

 

BBB2'S SISTER MARRIES ALLISON BANKS

 

Mary Sue Bradley married Allison Banks on Thursday, Jun. 17, 1937.  She was a graduate of Lake City High School.  Allison Banks worked with a car dealership in Lake City where the couple planned to live.

Her mother was Elvira Bradley Morris, then the wife of Avery Henderson Morris.  They probably had settled in St. Pete by this time, otherwise why would the St. Pete Times have announced Mary Sue's engagement?

BBB2 would have been around 11 or 12 at the time.

 

 

 

 

 

WHERE DID TAMPA'S BUFORD BRADLEY (BBB2) SPEND HIS ADOLESCENT YEARS?  COULD HE HAVE RECEIVED A SCHOLARSHIP BEFORE HIS MARRIAGE TO LOUISE POPE IN 1946?  COULD HE HAVE "GROWN UP" IN LUXEMBOURG AFTER 1940? 

This Oct 1941 article shows BBB2 attended Mirror Lake Jr. Hi. School in St. Pete.  He was elected program chairman for the first term.

 Recall that after his marriage to Louise Pope they moved to Maine and one article found in the Portland, ME. newspaper was that he directed the entertainment at a group "frolic."

 

 

In November 1941 BBB2 was chosen to co-lead a pep rally at a reception honoring parents and Mirror Lake Jr. Hi.

 

 

BELOW: BBB2 had a leading role in the Mirror Lake Jr. Hi. annual gala in 1941.

RIGHT:  BBB2 modeled a sports ensemble from the "Toggery." in Jan. 1942.

BELOW:  BBB2'S defense poster was judged outstanding.


 

On New Year's Eve of 1944, BBB2 and his mother were visiting her daughter (his sister) Mary Sue Banks in Miami.


 

In late April 1945 BBB2 won third place in Open Walking Horse Class in the annual Tampa Junior Horse Show at the Tampa Yacht & Country Club.

On May 8, 1946, BBB2 was the judge at the annual Boots & Saddles high school club horse show.

He would have been around 21 years old at this time.

Less than a week later, he and Louise Pope applied for a marriage license.
BBB2 was living at 824 Central Avenue, presumably in Tampa.  The location is not far from Suwanee Ave. where Louise lived.

As previously presented articles have indicated, after their marriage on May 13, 1946 at Seminole Hts. church in Tampa, the couple left "for a short trip before going to Maine to make their home."  One article found in the Portland, ME newspaper mentions BBB2 coordinating an entertainment event there.

Up until this point, there is no evidence to show that BBB2 spent any time in Europe, or was even interested in gardening.  He seemed to have more interest in coordinating events, modeling, and horse shows. 

Certainly if he had been awarded a prestigious scholarship and spent time "growing up" in Luxembourg and visiting the palace at Versailles it would have been big stories in the local papers.  In these years local papers published anything for news of social events and personal achievements.  Certainly, his mother Elvira Bradley Morris would have made such news public.  Announcements of his marriage would have also mentioned such achievement, but all that was said was that he graduated from St. Pete High School and had a job with Howard Johnson's in Maine.

 

A little after a year in Maine, the Bradleys (or just Louise) was back in Tampa having an Independence Day baby at St. Jos. Hospital. 

Notice the Bradley's address is that of Louise Pope's parents at the time of her marriage to Buford.

 

 

 

Almost exactly a year later, the Bradleys bought about half an acre of property just east of McKay Bay.

 


 

 

 

This area is known today as Palm River - Clair Mel City area.


On May 27, 1949, the Bradleys of rural Tampa had a baby daughter at St. Jos. Hospital.

In April 1949 BBB2 was working with his step-brother Johnnie Morris at the Goodyear tire station on Fla. Ave.

 

  

 

On Nov. 6, 1949, the Tribune announced that "Mrs. B. B. Bradley with her husband, DOCTOR BRADLEY, and children Byron and Sharon, have returned to Florida after making their home in Portland ME for the past few years."

Actually, they had been living in Palm River for the last two-and-a-half years.

And now, BBB2 is DOCTOR BBB2.  Either he obtained his "DR. de Hortae" in Maine or in Palm River, or he didn't have a doctorate degree in anything because it does not appear that he ever grew up or lived in Europe.
 

 

It is at this time that Bradley was appearing in the society pages giving talks as Dr. Bradley with a horticultural degree from "Acadamie de Hortae. 

 

 

On Aug. 17, 1950, the Bradley's had another son at St. Joseph's Hospital
 

DEATH OF BBB2's MOTHER, ELVIRA (BAKER) BRADLEY MORRIS

Elvira was active in many organizations and clubs and was living at 125 32nd Ave North in St. Pete when she died at age 57.  She came to St. Pete "16 years ago from Lake City, Fla." which calculates to 1935.


Gravestone photo by: Donna McPherson on 11 Jul 2008

 

 

LOUISE BRADLEY FILES FOR DIVORCE

This could be why there's no mention of BBB2's family life in the late 1950s.

 

 

 

B. B. BRADLEY BACK AT GOODYEAR, THIS ONE AT MORGAN AND TWIGGS ST.
(Or maybe he never left.)

 

But nine months after filing for divorce, it appears that the Bradleys reconciled and didn't divorce, because Lot 94 of Collins Armenia Park Subdivision was sold to "Mr. and Mrs. B. B. Bradley."   Two and a half years later, Bradley was remodeling his home at 2806 St. Isabel.

 

Today, this is located two streets south of M. L. King Blvd. between Habana & Gomez, east of where the Bucs training facility is located.

In the 1950s, this area was much less developed, commercially and residentially. 
Not even St. Joseph's hospital existed there yet.  It was built in 1967.


Construction of St. Joseph's Hospital at Buffalo Ave. and Habana, 1967. From the Burgert Bros. collection at the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library Coop. Note: Title text in brackets from back of print. It is uncertain if this is an authentic Burgert Brothers photo.

 

Buford Bradley's life in 1957 and 1958 were discussed previously in the first part of this page, and also in the TampaPix feature about Fairyland here.

 


 

Academie/Adadamie de Hortae
 Google search - No results.

 

ABOUT "MRS. HELEN GOULD" THE PHILANTHROPIST and her "love of flowers."
(Gould was her maiden name, so she was never "Mrs. Helen Gould.")

Guide to the Helen Miller Gould Shepard Papers 1814-1941  MS 1422 (nyu.edu)

Helen Miller Gould Shepard, the eldest daughter of famed New York financier Jay Gould (1836-1892) and Helen Day Miller (1838-1889), was born in Manhattan, New York on June 20, 1868. Helen spent much of her childhood between Manhattan and Lyndhurst, their summer estate in Tarrytown, New York. Helen inherited the Lyndhurst estate after her father’s death in 1892. Helen married Finley Johnson Shepard (1867-1942), a “railroad man”, on January 22, 1913 at the age of 45. The couple adopted three children, Finley Jay, Olivia, and Helen Anna. Helen’s adult life was marked by her dedication to philanthropy, patriotism, and religious endeavors. Helen began her most notable philanthropic activities in the last decade of the 19th century. Helen opened the Lyndhurst estate to the community and hosted ill and impoverished children and families, entertained and tended to injured soldiers during the Spanish-American war, and established a sewing school for young ladies in Lyndhurst. Helen also maintained Woody Crest, a fresh air charity and home for physically handicapped children in Tarrytown, New York.

On May 6, 1898, at the outset of the Spanish-American War, Helen donated $100,000 to the federal government of the United States of America. This sizable personal donation, in addition to her other donations on behalf of war relief, thrust Helen into the national spotlight. In December of the same year Senator Joseph Wheeler of Alabama introduced a bill to the House of Representatives to praise her donation, which was passed in February of 1899. Helen also spent a great deal of time and money supporting the Young Men’s Christian Association. In March and April of 1912, Helen went on a highly publicized coast to coast speaking and fundraising tour on behalf of the Y.M.C.A.

Helen was heavily involved with New York University, having graduated from the NYU Law School for Women in April 1895. Following in her father’s footsteps, Helen donated generously to the University, most notably donating money for the Gould Memorial Library in New York University’s Bronx campus in 1899, which later housed the Hall of Fame of Great Americans established in 1901. In addition to her charitable contributions, Helen was wholly dedicated to spreading the Christian faith. She was a member of both the American Tract Society and the American Bible Society. In 1918, Helen and Emma Baker Kennedy became the first female vice presidents of the American Bible Society. Helen printed a series of biblical tracts, booklets and leaflets from 1904 until her death. Most notably, her series of tracts entitled “Passages to Memorize: Suggested by Helen Gould Shepard” were published and translated into over twenty languages, including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, and Russian. Helen Miller Gould Shepard died of a stroke in her Lyndhurst home in Tarrytown, New York on December 21, 1938 at the age of 70.

NO MENTION OF LOVE OF FLOWERS OR A HORTICULTURAL SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
 

Daughter of railroad baron helped Austin YWCA, many organizations in U.S. | Post Bulletin Sep. 22, 2012

Last week I mentioned a gift to the Austin YWCA back in 1909 from Miss Helen Gould of New York, which helped launch the local organization. Maybe readers guessed that she was the daughter of railroad baron Jay Gould and a philanthropist of note in the early 1900s. Helen Gould was born in 1868 in Manhattan. She enjoyed a life of privilege, the third child of Jay and Helen (Day Miller) Gould's six children. When her father died in 1868, his estate was estimated to be worth $72 million. She is perhaps best remembered for donating $100,000 to the federal government in 1898 to support the Spanish-American War effort. She was also a generous benefactor to the YMCA, YWCA, Rutgers College and New York University where she attended law school. Helen Gould married Finley Johnson Shepard in 1913. At that time she was 44 years old and her personal fortune was estimated at $30,000,000. Her new husband is described in the Ithaca (NY) Daily News as a self-made railroad man, "estimated fortune: nothing." The couple adopted five children. Helen Gould Shepard continued her philanthropic work until her death in 1938.

NO MENTION OF LOVE OF FLOWERS OR A HORTICULTURAL SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

 

HELEN MILLER GOULD SHEPARD: AMERICAN PHILANTHROPIST DURING THE GILDED AGE | THE CABINET CARD GALLERY

This vintage photographic portrait features Helen Miller Gould (1868-1938). She was the daughter of Jay Gould and was a prominent heiress. She was a heiress because Jay Gould was quite rich. Maybe one of the richest men of his era. He was a leading railroad developer and speculator. Wikipedia reports that he was “one of the ruthless robber barons of the Gilded Age”. Helen was accomplished in her own right. She attended New York University School of Law. She married Finley Johnson Shepard (1867-1942) in 1913. He was an executive at the Missouri Pacific Railroad. She and her husband adopted three children. One of these kids was adopted after being found abandoned on the steps of St Patrick’s Cathedral. She also had one foster child. In 1918, she and Emma Baker Kennedy became the first female vice presidents of the American Bible Society. Helen was a major philanthropist. She donated one hundred thousand dollars the the US government at the start of the Spanish American War. She contributed another fifty thousand dollars toward military hospital supplies. She was active in the Women’s National War Relief Association and worked in a hospital caring for wounded soldiers. Helen donated a library building at New York University and also contributed to its engineering school. She was on the national board of the YWCA and the Russell Sage Foundation. The Russell Sage Foundation funds research relating to income inequality. Areas under study include immigration, ethnicity, labor markets and social inequality in the United States. Helen Gould was certainly an admirable woman. Through her philanthropy she had a positive impact on many people’s lives.

NO MENTION OF LOVE OF FLOWERS OR A HORTICULTURAL SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

WHEN HELEN GOULD DIED Bradley was 13 years old and living in St. Pete.  No biographies have been found which mention any interest in flowers or horticulture, or any related scholarship she offered.